In childhood, the young prince was raised by an English nanny. The emperor's children usually spent time in Gatchina. Alexander III especially loved spending time with his younger son: they walked together around the royal palace, and the father taught Mikhail how to light fires and identify animal locations by their tracks. Mikhail particularly enjoyed visiting his grandfather, King Christian IX of Denmark. Each trip to Copenhagen was a true celebration for him.

In 1898, Mikhail Alexandrovich began his service in the guard and managed to participate in World War I. He commanded the Caucasian Native Division and became famous as a brave warrior, launching surprise attacks on the enemy. Suddenly jumping out of ambush, Mikhail attacked the enemy with a saber in hand, leaving them no chance. Mikhail's brother, Emperor Nicholas II, tried to reason with him, but the prince continued to successfully attack the opponent. Soon, Nicholas removed him from command of the division and appointed him chief of the cavalry corps. In 1917, Mikhail, who had been promoted to the rank of General Inspector of Cavalry, was recalled from the front.

Mikhail Alexandrovich was at different times in love with English Princess Beatrice, the daughter of the Duke of Edinburgh, and lady-in-waiting Alexandra Kossikovskaya. He could not marry Beatrice due to close kinship, and with Kossikovskaya, due to her low social status. His new chosen one, Natalia Vulferth, was divorced from an officer of the Cuirassier Regiment. In 1912, they secretly married in Vienna. This news shocked the emperor, and Mikhail was stripped of his rights to the throne. However, later Nicholas II granted his brother's wife a countess title to smooth over the conflict. Natalia became Countess Brasova, and their son also bore this surname.

On March 2, 1917, Nicholas II, at the insistence of State Duma Chairman Mikhail Rodzianko, abdicated the throne for himself and his son Alexei in favor of his brother Mikhail. However, Mikhail also abdicated in the Manifesto of March 16, granting the right to decide Russia's fate to the Constituent Assembly. He was ready to accept the title of emperor only if the Assembly decided to preserve the monarchy. In October 1917, the revolution destroyed thousands of lives, and Mikhail Alexandrovich was no exception. The former Grand Duke, stripped of all titles and privileges, was arrested by the Bolshevik government and sent to Perm, where he was soon executed.